This invention relates to the art of horticulture, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for growing vine crops in a greenhouse.
This invention is applicable to the growing of vine crops such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, and the like in a greenhouse. However, the invention is disclosed in details using tomatoes as an example. The invention may also be applicable to short crops as well.
Conventional tomato crop growing methods generally utilize either a one crop growing method or a two crop growing method. In the one crop growing method, crops are set in a greenhouse in about the first week of January, and are harvested from the middle of March to the end of November if the plants are healthy. The remnants of the crops are then removed, and the greenhouse is cleaned and made ready for the next season. In the two crop growing method, the spring crops are set in a greenhouse in about the first week of January, and are harvested from the middle of March to the middle of July; the fall crops are set in the greenhouse in about the first week of August, and are harvested from the beginning of October to the middle of December.
In both growing methods, only one generation of crops are utilizing the growing media on the ground and the space above it at one time. The new generation is planted after the previous generation has been removed. There is a cleaning up period of 3 to 4 weeks between the previous generation and the new generation. After which the crops of the new generation have a growing-up period which can last 2-2.5 months before their first fruits ripen. Capital investment on a greenhouse, as well as operating expenses such as heating, cooling, and other utilities still need to be paid while the grower has no yield and thus no income for each 2-3 months for each crop-change period.
Another conventional greenhouse crop growing method is inter-planting. At a predetermined time, which is usually about 3-4 weeks before harvest ends, new young crops are planted in between the old crops. These new crops grow in the inter-spaces between the old crops and may share the same growing media with the old crops. The new crops grow taller as the fruits on the old crops ripen and are harvested. Finally as the life of the old crops ends, their stems are trimmed down and cleaned up. The new crops then grow by themselves.
This method has many disadvantages as well. The new crops can be contaminated from the sharing of the growing media with the old crops. The growing media carrier cannot be cleaned after the old crops are removed due to the presence of the new crops, resulting in increased contamination. The irrigation pipelines shared by the old and new crops are not cleaned, resulting in another source of contamination. The new crops may be covered or shaded by the old crops. Also the old crops may physically touch the new crops and therefore have a greater chance of spreading any diseases they carry to the new crops. The new and old crops may be tangled together making the clean up of the old crops difficult, introducing both expense and the risk of damaging the new crops in the untangling process.
What is needed is a method and apparatus that enables the continuation of crop growth and harvest all year around. What is needed is a method and apparatus having clearly defined growing space for both old and new crops. What is needed is a method and apparatus having a clean growing media carrier for the new crops to prevent contamination. What is needed is a method and apparatus having a new growing media for the new crops to prevent contamination. What is needed is a method and apparatus having new irrigation pipelines for the new crops to prevent contamination. The present invention meets these needs.